Sunday, October 31, 2010

Do your CO. Senate Candidates Support Charter Schools?

Candidate Survey Results

Do your Senate candidates support charter schools?

As a service to the charter school community, the Colorado League of Charter Schools surveyed all candidates for state legislative office about their views on charter schools and public school choice.


Candidates for Colorado's 6th Senate District


Ellen Roberts

1. Do you support a parent’s right to choose the best public school, in their judgment, for their children? Why or why not?

Absolutely. We sent our daughter to a charter school. We did that for the smaller class size, greater parental involvement and more creative teaching.

2. In your view, what role should charter schools play in the effort to provide parents and students choice in their schooling options?

I have voted to support charter schools at every opportunity while serving the past 4 years in the Colorado House, representing District 59. That is because I believe charter schools serve to stimulate the students and teachers and are a key part to the needed educational reform efforts at the local, state and federal levels.
3. Do you support charter schools getting and keeping the autonomy to make key decisions that affect a school’s daily operations? Why or why not?

Yes, these decisions are best made at the local level.

4. In your view, do charter schools help improve the educational opportunities or harm the educational opportunities for students in traditional public schools?

Traditional public schools should not be threatened by the choice presented to the students and their families by having charter school options. Competition in selecting a school that fosters teacher and school accountability and improved educational experiences should be the goal for all involved in educating our youth.

5. Do you believe that charter schools should be eligible to receive facilities funding from state and local capital budgets to address their critical facilities needs? Why or why not?

Yes. My personal experience in my family is that the physical facility of the charter school was last on the list for improvements and while facilities alone certainly don't determine the student's educational experience, safe and modern classrooms, laboratory space for science classes, etc. do matter.

6. In your view, how do teachers' jobs in charter schools differ from teachers' jobs in traditional public schools?

Again, from personal observation, the teachers were more enthusiastic, more engaged with the student and parents and more innovative in teaching styles. Unfortunately, they were also paid less and that caused significant and detrimental turnover.

7. Please feel free to provide any additional comments or view points regarding choice and charter schools in the state of Colorado that you were not able to cover in your responses above.
I think the answers above covered my opinions.


Bruce Whitehead


1. Do you support a parent’s right to choose the best public school, in their judgment, for their children? Why or why not?
After evaluation of options and best educational opportunities, parents should ultimately have a choice in determining the best learning environment for their children, based on long term observations of their child's needs and interests.

2. In your view, what role should charter schools play in the effort to provide parents and students choice in their schooling options?
Charter schools provide an alternative within the framework of public education for parents and children, and in most cases maintain an open door policy to observe the learning opportunities and teaching methods used.
3. Do you support charter schools getting and keeping the autonomy to make key decisions that affect a school’s daily operations? Why or why not?
Daily operations should be up to the individual schools, as long as the accountability, curriculum, testing, and accredidation are consistent with the charter agreement in place with the school district or State Department of Education.

4. In your view, do charter schools help improve the educational opportunities or harm the educational opportunities for students in traditional public schools?
Students with different interests and learning styles can sometimes learn better in alternative learning environments. It is possible that the charter school option may reduce class sizes in the traditional public schools and improve the learning opportunities.

5. Do you believe that charter schools should be eligible to receive facilities funding from state and local capital budgets to address their critical facilities needs? Why or why not?
The legislature has in the past provided funds on a per pupil basis for charter schools based on the student count on October 1st. As funding is available, in order to maintain this alternative educational opportunity, some level of capital funding from the state budget should continue. Given the current status of the state budget, full funding for capital projects may be challenging over the next few years.

6. In your view, how do teachers' jobs in charter schools differ from teachers' jobs in traditional public schools?
Teachers in charter schools have greater flexibility in providing alternative learning opportunities for their students. Based on the curriculum adopted by the charter schools, non-traditional teachers or experts in their field, can be utilized to provide real world or hands on experience on the topic. Teachers and administrators in charter schools receive lower salaries on the average than teachers employed by districts.

7. Please feel free to provide any additional comments or view points regarding choice and charter schools in the state of Colorado that you were not able to cover in your responses above.
The education of our youth is most definitely a partnership. The dialogue that takes place between parents, students, teachers, and administrators is critical to making informed and positive steps in creating the best learning environment.

Do your CO House Candidates Support Charter Schools?

Candidate Survey Results
Do your CO House candidates support charter schools?


As a service to the charter school community, the Colorado League of Charter Schools surveyed all candidates for state legislative office about their views on charter schools and public school choice.

* Hos Note- The Colorado League did not report survey results from Brian O'Donnell. AHS contacted O'Donnell's campaign and requested he provide our local community with his answers.

Candidates for Colorado's 59th House District

Brian O'Donnell

1. Do you support a parent’s right to choose the best public school, in their judgment, for their children? Why or why not?

Yes. I think that parents should be able to choose the best public school for their children. I want all of our public schools to excel. Education is one of the most important issues facing our state and our nation, and improving our schools will be one of my highest priorities.

2. In your view, what role should charter schools play in the effort to provide parents and students choice in their schooling options?

I believe that charter schools play an important effort in providing parents and students choices in their schooling options. Animas High School has been a great option for parents and students in Durango.

3. Do you support charter schools getting and keeping the autonomy to make key decisions that affect a school’s daily operations? Why or why not?

I think it is important for charter schools to have the freedom to make decisions affecting their daily operations.

4. In your view, do charter schools help improve the educational opportunities or harm the educational opportunities for students in traditional public schools?

I think that we need to make sure that both traditional and charter schools are offering the best possible educational experience for our children.

5. Do you believe that charter schools should be eligible to receive facilities funding from state and local capital budgets to address their critical facilities needs? Why or why not?

I would like to find ways to increase funding for education. Some of that money could be used for facilities. I know that Animas High Schools needs a long-term facility.

6. In your view, how do teachers' jobs in charter schools differ from teachers' jobs in traditional public schools?

I have toured Animas High School and met with teachers there. I think that teachers there are very creative and work hard. I also know teachers from traditional public schools and they also are hard working and creative.

7. Please feel free to provide any additional comments or view points regarding choice and charter schools in the state of Colorado that you were not able to cover in your responses above.

I was very impressed with the teachers, administration, board, students and parents at Animas High School. They are providing an excellent educational experience.

J. Paul Brown
1. Do you support a parent’s right to choose the best public school, in their judgment, for their children? Why or why not?

Yes. Because it encourages competition for students, thereby improving the education of students at all schools. Parents know best where their children will learn the most , what they want their children to learn, and who the best teachers are. Basicly, parents know best.

2. In your view, what role should charter schools play in the effort to provide parents and students choice in their schooling options?
Charter Schools can give parents different educational options for their children depending on the Charter School such as learning styles, curriculum, etc.

3. Do you support charter schools getting and keeping the autonomy to make key decisions that affect a school’s daily operations? Why or why not?
Yes. The problem with education as a whole today is that there are too many rules from the federal and state government that get in the way of local schools doing their job. Charter Schools are no different. Leave them alone and let them succeed or fail

4. In your view, do charter schools help improve the educational opportunities or harm the educational opportunities for students in traditional public schools? Help

5. Do you believe that charter schools should be eligible to receive facilities funding from state and local capital budgets to address their critical facilities needs? Why or why not?
I oppose increasing taxes. If the money can not be found in existing budgets without hurting other needs I would oppose this funding. Private contributions should be allowed.

6. In your view, how do teachers' jobs in charter schools differ from teachers' jobs in traditional public schools?
I'm not sure, but I would hope that teachers in charter schools would not have to belong to the union, would be paid based on performance, would not have tenure, and would not be required accreditation as long as they can get the job done.

7. Please feel free to provide any additional comments or view points regarding choice and charter schools in the state of Colorado that you were not able to cover in your responses above.
Any time there is state or federal money tied to a school there are also stings tied to that school restricting the school board or adminisration from educating as they feel is best for the students. The best government is that which is closest to the people and so it is with schools. I was on the School Board at Igncio for 12 years and was very frustated because we made very few real decisions about education. We did not have a charter school in the district. If we recinded most of the federal and state regulations and laws regarding K/12 education and put the responsibility back on the locals, all schools would be virtual charter schools and we would improve our education system many times.


Friday, October 29, 2010

A Message from the AHS Assistant Head of School

Hello AHS Parents and Guardians,

This is Jake Lauer, Assistant Head School at Animas High School. Most of you know me and for those who don’t I look forward to meeting you soon. I am truly enjoying working with all of your students this year.

We are thrilled to have such an energetic, inquisitive student body this year. And I am happy to report that we are having a great year so far at AHS.

My Role

I am writing today for a few reasons. First, I would like to explain a little about what I do here at AHS. As the Assistant Head of School (AHOS), my role is a combination of what a principal and vice-principal would do at a traditional high school. My responsibilities include:

• The daily administrative duties of a traditional principal
• Planning and oversight of our Advisory Program
• Upholding and furthering our school culture through a
non-traditional approach to discipline
• Staff management
Last year Michael’s role was more like that of a traditional principal. This year I have assumed that role and Michael is essentially our CEO. AHS needs Michael to focus his talents on the high-level tasks that will help our school become a model for charter schools throughout the country. You will certainly continue to see Michael everywhere, which is how we like it.

Communication

It is very important to us that we keep our whole community well-informed about the latest at AHS. We also want to make sure we are able to address any questions, concerns, ideas or comments you have about the school. To clarify communication, when you have a question, comment or concern about AHS contact your student’s advisor.

Since Michael’s and my roles have changed, the next step is to contact me. Please know that, although you may not communicate directly with me, I am in constant contact with the advisors.
In an effort to keep you informed about what is happening at AHS, we do the following:

• Each week Michael sends an email with a weekly update.
• We have programmed Power School to send you an email each Monday
that will give you your student’s current grades in all classes.
• Michael maintains a blog at http://www.animashighschool.blogspot.com/
• The Parent Advisory Committee meets each month at AHS. For more
information you can email pac@animashighschool.com.

School Culture and Expectations

I believe our positive academic and social environment is one of the things that sets us apart from other schools. We are committed to creating a physically and emotionally safe, invigorating space for your sons and daughters to grow and learn. We have very high academic and behavioral expectations for all of our students. At the beginning of this school year, Michael and I reviewed our Student Handbook with each student to make sure they were clear about what we expect.
As the school year progresses and student stress levels rise, we inevitably have students who make mistakes. To ensure that we continue to keep our culture strong, I am going to continue to reinforce our expectations with all students. Last week I visited 10th grade classes and revisited our Student Handbook with them. I will do the same for our 9th grade students next week. Our Student Handbook is available to you in either print or electronic form. If you would like a copy, please contact me by email. I want to take this opportunity to make you all aware of some areas where we often have confusion or problems:

Fashion Guide
At AHS, we don’t have a dress code, we have a fashion guide that helps students understand what dress is appropriate at AHS. Some highlights of the guide include:

• Students must wear closed-toe footwear at all times for safety reasons.
• Young ladies may wear tops with straps, but the straps must be at
least 2 inches wide. We never want to see undergarments. In addition, their
shorts/skirts must be as long as their fingertips when their arms are extended down their
sides.
• Headwear, including hats, hoods, bandanas and beanies, are not
allowed in the building.
• Clothing with inappropriate/offensive messages is not welcome.

Respectful Environment

Students and staff love learning and working in an environment where mutual respect reigns. To that end, we demand that all community members show respect for themselves, for one another and for the facility. AHS expects students to:

• Act with respect for self and others, which includes: using
appropriate language; displaying kindness and empathy for others; honoring others’
personal space and property.
• All students are responsible for AHS equipment and property and may
be expected to pay replacement cost for damaged or lost items.
• Never vandalize school or personal property.
• Not use drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
• Refrain from any bullying or harassment, especially any comments or
actions of a sexual nature. (see Policy Against Harassment in the Student Handbook)
• Pick up their trash and keep all spaces clean to the best of their
ability. Note: students may not chew gum in the building.
• Use technology appropriately and only when given permission. For
example, students may not eat or drink anything while using school computers, cameras,
etc. Students may not listen to their MP3 players in the halls, common spaces or in
classrooms, unless a teacher has given them explicit permission.
• Be honest and truthful socially and academically.

School Technology Use

In order to help our students prepare for 21st century jobs, we have invested a lot of money in technology. We work hard to teach our students the proper way to care for this technology and most of the time they are quite successful. However, we have had a few cases this year where cameras, computers, etc., have been damaged or lost by students. Please be aware that, according to school policy, your student is responsible for repairing or replacing any AHS property they damage or lose.

Consequences for Not Meeting These Expectations
Our returning students often say that AHS “sweats the small stuff.”
And I agree. We have a great opportunity as a small community to address small problems before they get out of hand. To that end, if your student does not meet our expectations we follow this process:

1) Teacher Detention or Service – Each teacher may assign their own
form of detention or service to any student out of compliance. If the teacher has multiple
problems with one student, the teacher may refer them to me.
2) AHOS Intervention – If a student is referred to me or if I find a
student out of compliance, I will work with the parties involved to identify and enforce an
appropriate consequence. This could include:
a. School Wide Work Crew – your student will be asked to stay after
school to complete a service project for us. They are expected to stay until they have
completed the project to our satisfaction. We will assign projects that should be completed by
4 p.m. if the student works diligently.
b. Parent Meeting
c. Behavior Contract

3) HOS Intervention – Michael will intervene in discipline scenarios
that could include suspension or expulsion from AHS.

Closing

Thank you for your time and attention. AHS is a unique and invigorating environment thanks to all of you and your students. I feel honored to be a part of this community and I look forward to working with you all for a long time to come.

Respectfully,

Jake Lauer
Assistant Head of School

Animas High Ospreys to compete at state event

The first-year Animas High Ospreys cycling program will be competing at the state championships Sunday at the Peaceful Valley Boy Scout Ranch in Elbert.
The state championships are the final event of the inaugural Colorado high school mountain bike league season.
Animas High, which will be taking 12 student-athletes to the competition, currently is in sixth place out of 20 teams. There also will be one or two athletes from Durango High School attending as independent cyclists becaues DHS does not have a cycling program, coach Chad Cheeney said in a news release.
Cheeney said the new league "has been very successful in its first year as it has averaged over 170 racers per event."
"This new junior racing program in the state will have a huge effect on Colorado's future junior cycling development as it is a great nonintimidating introduction to the sport."
For more information, call Cheeney at 764-5909.

Monday, October 25, 2010

AHS Weekly Update- Week of Oct. 25th, 2010

Please take a moment to review the following updates:

Spirit Week
No School Friday
SLC Make-ups
School Calendar
9th Grade Blast Off
HOS Talk 10-22-10

Spirit Week

This week is Spirit Week at AHS and we are excited to promote this student driven event for a second year. Your student is welcome to display their school spirit and participate in different themed days throughout the week:

Monday- Pajama Day
Tuesday- 60’s Day/Classy Dress Day
Wednesday- Jersey Day (athletic not state)
Thursday- Halloween Costume Day

No School Friday

There is no school for students this Friday, Oct. 29th. Animas High School faculty will be participating in professional development workshops and working with PBL professionals to dial in their upcoming projects and continue to make our program the best it can be. Campus and the Main Office will be closed Friday. We look forward to addressing all your questions and concerns when school reconvenes on Monday, Nov. 1st. We wish you and your family a very happy and safe Halloween.

SLC Make Ups

If your student still needs to participate in Student Led Conferences, please make sure that their make-up time is scheduled this week! Reservations for SLCs are coordinated by our Humanities teachers. If your student needs to schedule a make-up, they should speak directly with their Humanities instructor. Parents can follow up with the appropriate teacher via email:

Lori.fisher@animashighschool.com 10th grade Humanities Students
John.fisher@animashighschool.com 9th and 10th grade Humanities Students
Jessica.mccallum@animashighschool.com 9th grade Humanities Students

School Calendar

Please make sure you have a copy of the school calendar on your fridge at home! You can see the calendar here:
http://www.animashighschool.com/pdf/10-11AHSCalendar.pdf

9th Grade Blast Off

Mission control scrubbed today’s launch due to the inclement weather forecast. 9th graders will be launching their rockets tomorrow during period 3 (10:30-11:30), period 5 (12:15-1:00) and period 6 (1:25-2:30) Come and join us for lift off! Specific questions can be forwarded to mission control via email: dave.heerschap@animashighschool.com

HOS Talk 10-22-10

Last Friday’s HOS Talk is online! See it here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Animas-High-School/129694133734262?ref=ts#!/video/video.php?v=485433973372

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Animas High School will not receive funds from ballot initiative 3A


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM THE ANIMAS HIGH SCHOOL BOARD OF DIRECTORS


Dear Animas High School Families and Supporters,

As election day approaches, we would like to clarify a point about Durango 9R’s ballot initiative 3A, as we have received many inquiries about the initiative. Ballot initiative 3A proposes to increase property taxes to provide 9R schools with additional funding.

The 3A ballot language and marketing materials are unclear about whether or not Animas High School, as a local public school, will benefit from the revenues generated by the initiative. Animas High School will not benefit from the increased revenue from 3A, only Durango 9R schools will benefit.

Animas High School is a proponent of educational choice and supports excellence in education. We encourage you to seek out information about the mill levy and to understand 9R’s specific plans for the use of their funds. Then, make your voting decision based on what you believe is best for your family and the community. You will find information about the Durango 9R initiative at: www.IDEASDurango.org

Please contact us with any questions at Board@AnimasHighSchool.com

Respectfully,

Animas High School Board of Directors

Monday, October 18, 2010

AHS Weekly Update- Week of October 18th, 2010



Please review the following updates:

SLCs
Communications From School to Home

SLCs

SLCs-Student led conferences are scheduled for this Wednesday, October 20th. SLCs will begin meeting at 3:30 pm and end at approximately 7:00 pm. We will be using a student-led format, which is an alternative to the traditional parent-teacher conference. Conferences will last for 30 minutes per student.

Students have reserved a time for their SLCs using the SLC sign-up sheets which were sent home last week. Please be ON TIME for your student’s SLC so that we can respect everyone’s appointments and commitments.

Students are expected to present in professional dress for SLCs.

For parents/families new to Animas High School, here’s what to expect at Conferences:

1. Your child will do most of the talking. They have practiced their dialogue and have much to share. Listen carefully!

2. Your child will discuss and show evidence of his/her progress in
Humanities, Math, Science, Spanish or Digital Media. Your child will
discuss his/her Habits of Heart and Mind, their strengths and goals
and their ideas for improvement and continued success.

3. When your student is finished presenting, you will be given the opportunity to ask them further questions and share your perception of their performance to date.

4. Teachers will be available during the conference to provide support, clarification and re-direction if needed. Remember, this is NOT a PARENT-TEACHER Conference. Teachers and advisors are always available for office hours or follow up meetings!

Communications From School to Home

Recently, it was brought to our attention that some parents/families are still unaware of our school communication process. Please make sure you are involved and familiar with the following communication avenues:

· Weekly Updates form the AHS Head of School-(What you are reading right now!) These weekly email blasts are distributed at the beginning of each week. The Weekly Updates contain valuable news and information on AHS programming. We expect parents to review the updates each week!

· Newsletters, Event Invitations and Special Announcements are frequently distributed to the AHS community. This information is distributed via email, posted on the school’s website, the HOS Blog and AHS FB page.

· AHS Website- The AHS homepage is a wealth of information for our community. The site can be found at http://www.animashighschool.com/ The website is your online portal for access to Teacher’s Digital Portfolios and syllabi as well as a depository for important school info and documents like the 2010-11 school year calendar, staff email contacts, the school’s budget, etc…

· AHS Digital Portfolios- All teachers at AHS maintain a Digital Portfolio. Teachers constantly update course descriptions, unit plans, weekly units and nightly assignments on their DPs. Your student is very familiar with their teacher’s DP and you should be too! Here’s a list of links for staff DPs:

Josh Dalley
http://animasmath.blogspot.com/
Colleen Dunning
www.wix.com/cdunning/biology
Cathy Eagen
http://faculty.animashighschool.com/~ceagen/index.html
John Fisher
http://faculty.animashighschool.com/~jfisher/index.html
Lori Fisher
http://lorifisher.blogspot.com/
Dave Heershap
http://davidheerschap.blogspot.com/
Maria Goodin
http://www.mariagoodin.blogspot.com/
Jessica McCallum
http://freshhumanities.blogspot.com/
Roxy McKnight
http://faculty.animashighschool.com/~rmcknight/


· AHS HOS Blog- The AHS HOS Blog is Michael’s Digital Portfolio. Here you can find copies of all school to home communications (weekly updates, event announcements, etc.) as well as recent AHS news, local, state and national updates on charter school issues and legislation and any media releases about AHS. Make sure to bookmark the AHS HOS Blog at http://www.animashighschool.blogspot.com/

· AHS Facebook Page- Social Networking at its best! Be sure to become a fan of Animas High School on Facebook to stay current on all the up-to –the-second news from campus. You’ll find unique digital media, pictures and posts on the AHS Facebook page not found anywhere else. This is also where to view archives of past HOS Talks. We know Facebook can be an intimidating venue for parents so don’t be shy to ask students or teachers how it works! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Animas-High-School/129694133734262

· PAC Meetings- Each month, the Parent Advisory Committee meets to discuss all things AHS. From school dances to report cards, sporting events to snow closures; PAC meetings are your chance to voice your issues, comments and concerns to AHS Administrators and board members. PAC meetings alternate between daytime meetings and evening meetings to accommodate the diverse schedules of our parents/families. AHS is a direct result of our community’s efforts and PAC meetings are an invaluable opportunity for collaboration. We can’t wait to hear your voice and see you at these upcoming meetings:

o Monday, October 25 at 12:30 p.m.
o Thursday, November 18 at 6:00 p.m.
o Monday, December 13 at 12:30 p.m.
o Monday, January 10 at 12:30 p.m.
o Thursday, February 17 at 6:00 p.m.
o Monday, March 14 at 12:30 p.m.
o Thursday, April 14 at 6:00 p.m.
o Monday, May 9 at 12:30 p.m.

· PAC Blasts- PAC frequently re-blasts (via email) important pieces of information that are distributed in the AHS Weekly Update, especially when preparing for events like Exhibitions, SLCs, POLs, etc. Please make sure you are receiving PAC Blasts! contact PAC@animashighschool.com if you have questions or concerns.

· HOS/AHOS Office Hours- If you’ve got a need to synch up with the AHS Administration, both the Head of School and Assistant Head of School hold office hours twice a month. Michael’s office hours are on Mondays and Jake’s office hours are on Thursdays. Signing up for admin office hours is as easy as contacting the Main Office at 247-2474 and requesting a meeting time.

· Powerschool- Powerschool is our online grade book program. With your student’s password, you can log into Powerschool from any internet access point and check on your student’s progress. Powerschool grades are updated by the faculty weekly. In addition to logging on at your convenience, starting next week, the school will send an automatic Powerschool update home on Monday evenings. We’re excited to provide our community another opportunity for communication between school and home.

· AHS Main Office- Maureen Truax, our Front Office Manager is available to field your questions or help you with your needs everyday from 8 AM to 4 PM. The Main Office phone is answered each day from 8 AM to 4 PM and the school has multiple lines to take incoming calls. If you reach our message machine, please leave your name, number and reason for calling and Maureen will make sure your message gets to the right person(s) Please remember, although we strive to have the best possible communications systems in place each day at the Main Office, if staff are not immediately available to sign you into the building or answer your calls, it’s because we are giving one hundred percent of our attention to our students. Please be patient as we work diligently to meet everyone’s needs!

· Emails to staff/advisors- Remember, our staff all have AHS emails and our families report email as the most efficient, fastest way to connect with our teachers, advisors and administrators. Emails for the staff are easy to remember. The address will always be (first name. last name) at animashighschool.com That goes for everyone except the Head of School who’s just michael@animashighschool.com

Our primary avenue for information dissemination is DIGITAL. AHS realizes that for those of us who are luddites with technology (yes, our numbers are many), keeping up with email blasts, blogs and Facebook can be intimidating. We always have the ability to impart this information to folks via a hard copy. (i.e.-an actual document) Stop into campus and let us know how we can help you stay in the loop!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Unmasked 2 Thursday 10-14


Animas High School Weekly Update- Week of Oct. 11th, 2010

Wow….Can you believe those 9th grade Humanities students in Mr. Fisher’s class? I want to thank everyone who joined us at the Strater Hotel Thursday night to help kick off Durango Heritage Days and see our students present their sociology projects. Watching the students prepare for their event, we knew they were going to do well. But, their efforts last Thursday surpassed all of our expectations and we want to let everyone know how proud we are of their success! They definitely have set the bar high for future exhibition events this year (which, based upon our students’ excitement, will be happening again next week.)

It’s been an extremely full week here at campus and we’re now into a three day weekend. In order to keep our communication timely and consistent, please review the following updates:

Unmasked- Part 2
Mountain Biking Ospreys
2011 Project Week
Belize Project Week Trip
Election Season
Social Networks

Unmasked- Part 2

Although only Mr. Fisher’s 9th students were involved with Thursday evening’s event, there is the want by our students to do more! Mrs. McCallum’s Humanities classes have advocated the need for their own exhibition event. Listening to those student voices and seeing their excitement around their first project made the decision to sponsor this impromptu exhibition an easy one. We are inspired by the students desire to present their work to the community and we’d love to see you next Thursday night, from 6 to 8 pm at the Durango Rec. Center.

Mountain Biking Ospreys

Who would have guessed that Animas High School’s first foray into the realm of high school athletics would prove so successful. Congrats Ospreys on a winning team and your 5th place standing in the CO High School MTB Series. Special shout out to AHS 9th grader India Waller who’s placed second in the last two races for Animas. All of our student athletes are performing well and your efforts and commitment to your team and your school are commendable. Be sure to check all the great recent press surrounding the team’s success:

October 8th, Durango Herald Article: http://www.durangoherald.com/sections/Features/Outdoors/2010/10/08/Animas_Ospreys_soaring_into_mountain_bike_racing/
India Waller blasts her way downhill for the Ospreys: ; http://coloradomtb.smugmug.com/2010-Colorado-HS-MTB-Series/2010-Round-2/14076739_5PWQA#1036829253_sFAm5

2011 Project Week

Project Week will take place February 28th through March 4th, 2011. The purpose of this week is to provide the AHS student body with a wide variety of projects that are scholastic in nature, involve some sort of tangible outcome/service opportunity and allow students to participate in educational experiences outside of the classroom. Projects are designed with a wide variety of objectives, subject areas and price points in mind. There will be local, low cost options and more expensive national and international offerings. Regardless of the trip/project, AHS is confident that all students will benefit from this unique and challenging week. Participation in Project Week is mandatory and we’re excited to help students find an experience that suits them best. The entire line-up of Project Week offerings will be distributed to students in the upcoming week. Look for more updates related to specific trips/projects in future email updates, on our homepage and on the HOS blog and AHS Facebook page.

Belize Project Week Trip

It has come to our attention that parents have many questions regarding the Belize Project Week Trip. Do not fear, Lori has the answers you are looking for!
Lori will be holding a mandatory informational parent and student meeting on Thursday, October 14 from 5:00-6:00, in her classroom. This meeting is a requirement for any students who are interested in going on this trip and is timed so that students and families can also attend the Thurs. evening Exhibition event at the Rec. Center. At this meeting, we will go over the following topics:

1. Cost breakdown
2. Trip itinerary and activities
3. Trip provider
4. Requirements for students
5. Payment schedule
6. Fundraising options and structures
7. Date of no return

Please come with any questions you and your student may have about the trip—We look forward to seeing you there! In the meantime, please ask your student to show you the informational packet I sent home with them this week. It contains a great deal of information, and may be helpful in guiding conversations you and your child may have about this trip option.

If you need to contact Lori before the meeting, please email her at lori.fisher@animashighschool.com.

Election Season

As we get closer to the November 2nd mid-term elections, there appears to be many candidates and proposed legislation related to Charter Schools. Please check out the following links to discover how our local legislators vying for office feel about Schools of Choice.
Senate Race, District 6: http://animashighschool.blogspot.com/2010/10/do-your-co-senate-candidates-support.html
HOR Race, District 59: http://animashighschool.blogspot.com/2010/10/do-your-co-house-candidates-support.html

Social Networks

Join Animas High School online for all the up to the second happenings at 3206 Main. Check us out at:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Animas-High-School/129694133734262

Thursday, October 7, 2010

AHS Exhibiton Tonight!-Please Join Us and Tell Your Friends!

Animas High School
9th Grade Sociology Exhibition
Thursday October 7,2010 from 6 to 8 pm at the Strater Hotel

Our 9th graders have time traveled from the Victorian era to the pres­ent and designed advice guides to help create a more polite modern society .

They have also designed identity masks and written personal essays discussing how socializing forces have shaped who they are.

Please join us this evening and ask the students about their projects. They are excited to share what they have created and learned.


Many appreciations to Through the Lens Photography and
the La Plata Electric Foundation for their support.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The Real Scoop:How will 60, 61 and 101 effect charter schools?



The Real Scoop:How will 60, 61 and 101 effect charter schools?

From the Colorado League of Charter Schools

There is a lot of buzz about Ballot Measures 60, 61 and 101, often referred to as the "Ugly 3." The Colorado League of Charter Schools' board of directors officially voted to oppose these three measures. We believe the approval of any of these three initiatives would be extremely detrimental to public education in Colorado, and would severely limit the continued success and growth of charter schools in the state.

Not only would these measures reduce already low funding for public schools (including charters), they will further limit charter school access to facilities. This could force more charters to be located in less than optimal buildings, or discourage charter school founders from creating new and innovative charter schools due to inaccessibility to adequate facilities funding. In addition, lower funding ultimately leads to larger class sizes, fewer extra-curriculars and more. In the end, 60, 61 and 101 take money out of the classroom and away from our children's public education.

Many non-profit groups, newspapers, and prominent elected officials on both sides of the aisle have spoken out against 60, 61 and 101. Visit http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pb4fy6bab&et=1103745382830&s=6671&e=0015pSmolFSOzv6VD_mCDZ2iX1g6L4cr7N7J6qunNMh0Lsc6N7ZBdXNa-Sd_gtQ8fuucWHeiIb1q20KGyYsy3bGJmvxMZmkaqO6P1xQSfKBVPANVol3h4h0LSdMP_pgglmt to see a list of organizations opposing these measures.

Here are some great articles and resources with more information about 60, 61 and 101.
Video: The Bad 3: In Plain EnglishFormer Governor Bill Owens Editorial, Denver Post (09/26/10)Republicans Oppose Job Killing Measures, Letter to Colorado Statesman

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Council appoints students to city panels- DGO HERALD 10-5-10

Durango Herald Logo
Council appoints students to city panels
by Garrett AndrewsHerald Staff Writer
Article Last Updated; Tuesday, October 05, 2010 12:00AM

The Durango City Council voted to approve a number of appointments to the first Mayor's Youth Advisory Commission last week. The local students will be recognized at tonight's City Council meeting.

Twenty-three students applied for seats on the seven-member commission. During their interviews with city councilors, students also were asked if they would serve as non-voting members of a different city board or commission if they weren't among the seven selected.

The commission will meet for the first time at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at City Hall. Meetings will be held on the first and third Thursdays of the month for the remainder of the school year.
Durango's mayor will serve as council liaison and unofficial head of the commission.
"In some ways, we're making this up as we go," said Mayor Michael Rendon. "We want the kids to have as much power as possible, but we've also never done this before. So we'll see how it goes."

Rendon said the plan for the first meeting is for the students to identify important issues to take on, "and then take it from there."
One likely topic is youth outreach at City Hall, Rendon said.

"We had some awesome applicants. They're really the standouts in this community," Rendon said.

The council voted to appoint the following students to the Mayor's Youth Advisory Commission:

•Nathan Youssef, sophomore, Animas High School.
•Sarah Ford, senior, Durango High School.
•Zoe Schultz, junior, Durango High School.
•Amber Kairalla, junior, Grace Preparatory Academy.
•Claire Ochsner, junior, Durango High School.
•Alden Derck, senior, Durango High School.
•Ruthie Edd, junior, Durango High School.
•Dale Ramirez, freshman, Durango High School (alternate).
•Sam Kuenzel, freshman, Animas High School (alternate).

The following students were selected to serve as youth advisory members on other city boards and commissions:

•Airport Commission - Zane Kekoa Bilgrav, senior, Grace Preparatory Academy.
•Business Improvement District - Christian Vigil, junior, Durango High School.
•Natural Lands Board - Kari Bjorlin, senior, Durango High School.
•Library Advisory Board - Aiyana Anderson, sophomore, Animas High School.
•Public Art Commission - Maggie Harmon, freshman, Grace Preparatory Academy.
•Parks and Recreation Advisory Board - Carson Leavitt, senior, home school.
gandrews@durangoherald.com

Positive Press


Photo by STEVE LEWIS/Herald
Animas High School freshman Shannon Etz, left, and sophomore Angela Myers practice juggling Monday afternoon at Animas City Park. Teacher Maria Goodin said the activity is part of the school's twice-weekly student interest group. The class is taught by local jugglers Mark Stampfle and Erin Stephens. "I just found out about how wonderful it is for the brain, so I thought we should all be doing it," Goodin said.

Games Charter Opponents Play

* As we get closer to November's elections, I was reminded of this terrific article by Joe Willians from the journal Education Next.

"Many of the charter principals interviewed for this story report spending upward of a third or even half of their time fighting these battles. In truth, charter opponents can lose some battles and still win the war, as charter school operations continue to be hampered by endless attacks on so many fronts. One can only wonder how these distractions impede the efforts of charter schools to educate their students."



Games Charter Opponents Play
How local school boards--and their allies--block the competitionBy Joe Williams

Winter 2007 / Vol. 7, No. 1

Considerable attention has been paid to the most blatant barriers that public charter schools face. By lobbying against good charter legislation and fair funding (see Figure 1), financing anti-charter studies and propaganda, filing lawsuits, and engaging the public battle of ideas, teacher unions and other charter opponents openly wage what might be called an “air war” against charters.

But there is also evidence of a perhaps more damaging “ground war.” Interviews with more than 400 charter school operators from coast to coast have revealed widespread localized combat—what one administrator called “bureaucratic sand” that is often hurled in the faces of charter schools. Indeed, as a 2005 editorial in the Washington Post described charter school obstruction in Maryland, “It’s guerilla turf war, with children caught in the middle. Attempts to establish public charter schools in Maryland have been thwarted at almost every turn by entrenched school boards, teachers unions and principals resistant to any competition.”
The goal appears to be to stop charter schools any way possible. A decade after Massachusetts passed its charter school law as part of the Education Reform Act of 1993, city officials in North Adams, Massachusetts, sued the state Department of Education, challenging the constitutionality of charter schools. Citing a 150-year-old clause in the state constitution, the city claimed all public school money had to go to schools that are controlled by “public agents.” The suit was later dismissed but shows the lengths to which local interests will go to stop the schools or at least slow them down.

Today, more than 1 million students are enrolled in public charter schools in the 41 states (and the District of Columbia) that have charter laws, with almost 4,000 charter schools in all. Most, if not all, of these schools have encountered some form of bureaucratic resistance at the local level. That resistance may take place at the school’s inception, when it first looks to purchase a building and comply with municipal zoning laws. It may come when opponents play games with a school’s transportation or funding, or when legal barriers are tossed in the way, or when false information about charter schools is widely disseminated. Despite the obstacles, many charter schools are thriving. It’s worth taking a look at the forces on the ground that would have it otherwise and the myriad ways they attempt to stymie the charter school movement.

No-School Zone

Often the most painstaking and difficult parts of launching a charter school are locating, purchasing, and maintaining the school building. Many charter opponents believe that if they can sufficiently complicate this nascent stage of a charter school’s life, they will have dealt a major blow to its future success.

In Albany, New York, opponents have used the city’s zoning commission to halt charter school growth. When Albany Preparatory Charter School requested a variance on property it was eyeing, opponents appeared before a public hearing about the proposed school building and used the opportunity to argue against charter schools in general. Both the city and the board of zoning appeals denied the variance request in February 2005 on grounds that the proposed building was in a location that was not suitable for a school. It wasn’t difficult for the charter school to prove that the decision was unfairly “arbitrary and capricious,” however. The building that Albany had deemed unsuitable for a school had been, for more than 70 years, Albany’s very own Public School 3 In December 2005, State Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. Spargo gave the city 60 days to approve the variance request.

That same month, the Albany school system discussed ways to prevent another school, the Green Tech Charter High School, from opening. The school board voted to have Superintendent Eva Joseph review possibilities for taking the property by eminent domain so the district could seize the land before the charter school could be built. As the Albany Times Union reported, M. Christian Bender, chair of the proposed school’s board of directors, remarked, “Two words come to mind—laughable and desperate.” The school is expected to open in September 2007
Albany’s story is not unusual. Playing games with facilities and zoning is a powerful way to get charter schools to delay or abandon plans to open. Certainly some zoning boards resist on principle any new land use that may increase traffic or noise, but blatant political hostility is quite common. Why are local boards hostile to charter schools? Some may view charter schools as a threat to local traditions and long-standing power-sharing arrangements. One Ohio charter school operator suggested that appointees to zoning commissions in her area tend to be eager political up-and-comers. To build political capital, they’re often willing to deliver for the public school systems. And those systems don’t want charter schools competing for students and dollars. “Especially if you are a Democrat, standing up to a charter school can help you make a name for yourself in the most important political circles,” she said.

Charter opponents understand that zoning commissions and boards of appeal have the power to halt new charter schools in their tracks. All over the country, particularly in the suburbs, zoning issues have been used to thwart attempts to open charter schools. To be sure, some cases involve garden variety “Not In My Back Yard” resistance to the increased traffic flow and daily bustle new charter schools bring. But often the opposition is blatantly political. When Lyndhurst, New Jersey mayor, James Guida, an opponent of charter schools, proposed zoning changes in 2001 that would require school lots to be a minimum of 1.5 acres in size, it stymied at least one charter school plan. Guida talked about the school with a Bergen Record reporter: “We didn’t target it, but if [the zoning law] hits it, so be it.”

In a similar scenario, Englewood, New Jersey, officials wreaked havoc on the Englewood Charter School by abruptly rezoning the site of a converted warehouse that the school was planning to use. The change prevented elementary schools from operating on the location. “They passed zoning changes to specifically exclude us from buildings,” said charter school organizer Paul Raynault.

In 2000, California voters approved Proposition 39, which requires that unused public school buildings be made available to public charter schools. Some districts have simply chosen not to follow the law, which gives public charter schools the right of first refusal. Two charter schools in southeast San Diego, Fanno Academy and KIPP Adelante Academy, filed a lawsuit against the district in 2005 accusing school officials of “blatant non-compliance” because classroom space was denied to charter schools and given instead to private schools that could afford to pay higher rent.

The San Diego lawsuit, filed with the help of the California Charter Schools Association, contends that districts usually sabotage charter schools in one of three ways: claiming a facilities request is incomplete and therefore denying it; offering sites that are impractical; and outright denial of the facility request. Eight out of nine charter school applications for space in San Diego in 2005 were denied, even though all completed the necessary paperwork for requesting classroom space. Before suing the district, both Fanno and Adelante reportedly sought to hold meetings with the agency to discuss their options. After several months without a response, their requests were denied. Early in 2006, the district had declared invalid requests from 24 charter schools seeking space declaring that none properly explained how the school’s projected enrollment was determined. That level of detail hadn’t been required on previous applications.

“This feels like political posturing,” said Luci Flowers, principal of the Albert Einstein Academy Charter School. “I feel like we are pawns in a political game.”
Sometimes hurdles for charter school facilities are thrown up not by districts, but by competing private-school interests. In Brooklyn, New York, the founders of the Explore Charter School signed a 10-year lease in 2002 for a property across the street from the St. James Catholic Cathedral. The property was co-owned by a private landlord and the Diocese of Brooklyn. The private landlord signed off on the lease, but just weeks before the school was scheduled to open, the diocese began unraveling the deal. The 10-year lease was slashed to two years, forcing school leaders to go back to the nearly full-time job of finding a suitable long-term facility.
Why the sudden resistance from the diocese? The church said it had new concerns that sex education might be taught in the public charter school. But Morty Ballen, the charter school’s founder, claimed that a lawyer for the diocese told him that it was not the church’s policy to support charter schools. “It’s a hunch that we represent competition to the parochial schools,” Ballen said. “It’s unfortunate, because we all have the same goal—to provide kids with a good, solid education.”

You Can’t Get Here from There

Using transportation as a weapon against charters is particularly harmful to those charter schools that have longer school days and years than traditional public schools. “Transportation is huge,” commented Jamie Callendar, a former Ohio legislator. “In the first few years the districts would outright refuse to provide transportation. Now they make it as inconvenient as possible.”
In Ohio, students attending nonpublic and charter/community schools are eligible to receive transportation services from the local district if they and the school they attend meet certain criteria. The local district can, however, declare providing eligible students with transportation “impractical” for a variety of reasons and issue payment instead. In July, the Columbus Public School district announced its intent to notify 1,384 private and charter school students that it would be “impractical” to transport them to school on district school buses. Instead, students would be given a $172 check toward providing their own transportation to and from school—less than $1 per school day.

Similar scenarios play out all over the country. For nearly four months of the 2005–6 school year, the school bus belonging to the Ross Montessori School in Carbondale, Colorado, sat unused in the school’s parking lot, another victim of the below-the-radar war against public charter schools.

The K–6 school paid $25,000 for a 78-passenger turbo-diesel school bus in the fall of 2005 with high hopes that it would make it easier for students—particularly Latinos—who didn’t live close to the school to enroll. Critics at the nearby Roaring Fork School District, who had long opposed the charter school’s existence, had complained publicly that Ross Montessori didn’t serve its share of Latino students. The administration of Ross Montessori believed the bus would make it easier for Latino families to select the school.

“I thought this would be a solution,” said Mark Grice, the school’s director. Instead, as the bus sat, unused in the lot, week after week, it became a symbol for the passive-aggressive relationship that existed between the independent public charter school approved by the state and the local school district.

Why weren’t students allowed to ride on the Ross Montessori bus? In Colorado, as in many places, school buses may not carry student passengers unless the vehicles are regularly inspected by a specially licensed school-bus mechanic. Grice and his administrative team quickly learned that most of the licenses to conduct inspections in the region belonged to mechanics employed full time by a school district.

When the charter school leaders checked with the mechanic at the local district in early October 2005, they were given the bureaucratic cold shoulder. Grice and his team decided the best way to proceed would be to call the next closest school district to see if its certified school-bus mechanic would conduct the required inspection. Arrangements were made to do just that, until Grice got a return call shortly before the scheduled inspection informing him that the appointment had been cancelled.

“They said they didn’t want to get involved in the politics of our district,” Grice recalled. The charter pushed back, and eventually the neighboring district agreed to inspect the bus—but only if the school could produce a letter from the superintendent of the charter school’s geographic district giving permission. Eventually, the Carbondale superintendent agreed to call the neighboring superintendent. “I should have had him put it in writing,” Grice said. Whatever the superintendents may have said between themselves, it didn’t result in a bus inspection.

By chance, several months later, the charter school stumbled upon both a certified school-bus mechanic who was employed at a nearby Chevrolet dealership and a Catholic school that was looking to share with another school the cost of bus transportation in the region. “It allowed us to share the cost of the bus and to pay the driver better,” Grice said. “But as soon as the district found out about it, someone called the Colorado Department of Education to question the separation of church and state.”

The bus eventually got rolling, but Grice said he hates to think of how much time was spent dealing with these clearly avoidable hassles, time that could have been better spent on education.

The Check Is in the Mail

When districts are the ones passing along funding to charter schools, they gain immense influence over those schools’ basic operations, and the charters are placed in the undesirable position of having to rely on those who may oppose their very existence.

The Franklin Career Academy, of Franklin, New Hampshire, ultimately perished after the local school district and city council simply refused to pay the school the already-low $3,340 per child that was guaranteed under the state’s charter school law. As in many locations, New Hampshire law requires the per-pupil funds to pass from the state through local school districts, and then to charter schools. But Franklin school and city officials argued that the money was needed in the traditional schools and, astonishingly, voted against giving it to the charter school in the city budget. In its first year, Career Academy served 35 at-risk students in grades 7 through 12, but ended the year being owed $77,000 by the local district. The financial uncertainty forced the charter school to shut its doors. “Nothing went wrong with the school,” said the charter school’s board chairman Bill Grimm. “We closed because we didn’t see any other option.” The New Hampshire legislature is currently considering funding charter schools directly.

Knocking Down the Building to Spite the Charter

In the summer of 2000, a group of St. Louis education activists, including two Washington University social work professors, was moving full speed ahead with plans to open a new charter school in the Walnut Park section of the city. The organizers had a site within their grasp—a boarded-up Catholic school that a developer was willing to renovate. The project had financial backers, and even though the actual charter hadn’t yet been approved, signs were hung on the outside of the old school building announcing the plans for its new educational life. Construction was set to begin as soon as the charter was approved.

Without warning, city bureaucrats decided that the abandoned Catholic school had been vacant for too long. A raze order that was in effect was unexpectedly kicked into motion. Organizers were notified on June 6 that they had 30 days to board up broken windows and repair a broken fence or the building would be torn down. On Saturday, September 9, 2000, demolition crews arrived to tear the school down. By the next day, the building—including the charter school signage outside—was completely gone.

The site’s real-estate developer, Willard Owens, was perplexed, particularly since the city hadn’t previously shown much of an interest in removing the building. “No one started bothering me about the property until I brought up the idea of a charter school,” Owens told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Without the building, the plans for the charter were also relegated to the scrap heap.

Ohio has a similar process for funding charter schools. Ohio charters are paid through the districts with which they are competing. Those districts, in turn, have the right to question the validity of every student record, a practice called “flagging.” Because charter schools can’t be subsidized for a student whose record is “flagged,” dozens of charter school leaders throughout Ohio charge that their local public-school districts have used excessive “flagging” with the specific intention of harming the often fragile finances of their schools.

Depending on the size of the school, and the aggressiveness with which local districts decide to “flag” students, individual charter schools can see tens of thousands of dollars in legitimate funding delayed or withheld each year. And charter school administrators report that their limited office staffs can be overwhelmed as they scramble to investigate the reasons behind the flagging.

One Toledo charter school leader said her school had twice been denied six weeks’ worth of funding for enrolled students. In both cases, she said, the local district raised objections to student records just before the deadline for closing out monthly payments, making it impossible for the charter school to gather the supporting documentation in time for payment.
“We don’t even know that we have a problem, then all of a sudden they’ll put up a flag and say, ‘We need proof of residence,’” the charter leader said. “We’ve had kids who were in the [Toledo Public] schools for their entire academic careers and suddenly the district wants to challenge where they live.”

Another charter school administrator reported that an official with the Toledo Public Schools (TPS) often flags student entries, but doesn’t make clear what is wrong. (In one case, he allegedly claimed the word “Toledo” was spelled incorrectly on the database, but the school insisted they had it right. To make matters worse, she said, the TPS official wouldn’t return telephone calls or e-mails to discuss the flag he had thrown.)

Official Ohio Department of Education policy bans districts’ use of flagging to harass the charter schools, but some charter operators complain that the state often looks the other way and insists that charter schools resolve the problem with the local districts. Others note that there is a financial incentive for districts to delay making payments for as long as possible, even if they eventually have to pay the charter schools what they are owed in later installments.
“The district gets to use our money for a while [before eventually reconciling the accounts and spreading back-payments over several months] and we go into debt,” a Toledo charter leader said. “Meanwhile, they accuse us of sucking the system dry.”

Slinging Mud

Charter schools that either escape or survive the bureaucratic messes are lucky—but they’re not safe. In many districts, organized campaigns of disinformation and slander have been launched against charter schools. Like lawsuits, faux research, and campaign contributions, name calling has emerged as one more useful political tool.
Toledo Public Schools teachers handed out flyers outside the East Toledo Charter School in 2006 to parents attending an informational open house. The flyers suggested inaccurately that the school wasn’t performing well.

In Massachusetts in 2004, where district hostility to charter schools got so bad that state education officials had to warn superintendents to moderate their anti-charter politicking, one district student reported being pressured to sign a petition opposing charter schools. She was told if she didn’t sign, funding for the school band might be cut from the budget. Reported the Boston Globe, “Children say their public school teachers have pressed them to sign petitions protesting new charters. School committee members have repeatedly called neighbors, imploring them to step down from charter boards. And flyers have circulated, sounding the death of public schools if a charter school opens.”

In 2003 in Waltham, Massachusetts, an elementary-school principal sent out e-mails to families urging them to oppose pending charter-school proposals. In nearby Framingham that same year, city officials included with tax bills letters explaining how much money was going to charter schools. And in Cambridge, school officials in 2005 mailed letters to 4,000 families questioning the academic effectiveness of a charter school that had yet to open. Those letters also warned that students who chose to attend the Community Charter School of Cambridge wouldn’t be able to join sports and clubs that regular public schools offer.

Some of the tactics used by charter opponents amount to bluffing but reveal how far they are willing to go to stop a charter school from opening. As the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) considered authorizing charter schools for the first time in 1999, the local teachers union and top administrators in the Milwaukee Public Schools threatened to ban the college’s student teachers from obtaining required classroom experience if UWM approved any charter schools that would be managed by the for-profit firm Edison Schools.

No Truce in Sight

This ground war is both expensive and demoralizing. As the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation’s Terry Ryan described the reality in one state, “Charter schools, many working in Ohio’s toughest neighborhoods to educate the state’s neediest children, are also forced to live under a cloud of uncertainty, harassment and intimidation.”

Many of the charter principals interviewed for this story report spending upward of a third or even half of their time fighting these battles. In truth, charter opponents can lose some battles and still win the war, as charter school operations continue to be hampered by endless attacks on so many fronts. One can only wonder how these distractions impede the efforts of charter schools to educate their students.

Truce cannot be expected anytime soon. The enemies of charter schools are motivated and well-financed. For charter supporters, then, there is only one choice: fight back and win.

Joe Williams, a former staff writer on education for the New York Daily News, is a nonresident senior fellow with Education Sector and author of Cheating Our Kids: How Politics and Greed Ruin Education

Monday, October 4, 2010

AHS Weekly Update- Week of Oct. 4th, 2010

Please take a moment to review the following updates:

AHS Exhibitions Begin
10th Grade Humanities Projects on Display
NWEAs

AHS Exhibitions Begin

2010-11 Exhibitions begin this Thursday, October 7 from 6-8 p.m. at the STRATER HOTEL as part of the Durango Heritage Days Celebration.

For this project, 9th graders in Mr. Fisher’s Humanities classes have been studying Durango, past and present, through the lens of sociology. Students researched social norms in 19th century Durango and its modern counterpart. For the Victorian connection, students will pretend they are time travelers from the Victorian era, writing etiquette guides to create a more polite modern society. Students will also be exhibiting their identity masks and essays which discuss the formation of their own identities, values and beliefs.

Since this is the first AHS Exhibition of the year, here are some guidelines for parents/students to remember:

· Exhibition is mandatory for all students participating in an Exhibition Event (i.e.: If your class is exhibiting, so are you!).

· Mandatory Professional Dress: It's formal dress for all exhibiting students and staff! Boys should be in slacks, dress shoes, and button up shirts with ties. Girls should be in slacks or appropriate skirts/dresses, with a business like top (nice sweater, button up shirt, etc)

· Exhibition is an opportunity for students to show off their projects and answer questions from those in attendance. We encourage you to see lots of student projects and interact with many/all of the students exhibiting. Exhibition is not a time to conference with your student’s teachers. Let’s make sure the focus of Exhibition remains on the students who are presenting!

· We encourage you to invite your friends, neighbors and acquaintances in the community to any/all AHS Exhibition Events.

10th Grade Humanities Projects on Display



10th grade Humanities students have their Propaganda Posters and Essays on display at Animas High School. Be sure to check out these fantastic projects the next time you’re visiting campus!

NWEAs

All AHS students will be participating in NWEA testing this week at school. Students will be taking individualized, online assessments related to reading, writing, mathematics and science. Animas High School 9th graders take NWEAs in the fall, winter and spring. AHS 10th graders take NWEAs in the fall and winter.

The results of the NWEA assessments allow our teachers to accurately gauge student understanding and retention of key competencies and skills throughout the school year. Questions regarding NWEA testing can be forwarded to the AHS Testing Coordinator- jeff.digiacomo@animashighschool.com